Product Description

Fourth album from cult Liverpool indie-pop duo follows 1999's 'HMS Fable'. Moving on from the Britpop sound of that album (which itself missed the boat by a few years), this is a slower, more maudlin record, filled with a sense of resignedmelancholy. They have added a folky flavour to their sterling songwriting and topped it off with splashes of strings, Latin percussion and brass.

Track Listing

1. As Long As I've Got You
2. Soldier Man
3. Byrds Turn To Stone
4. The Girl With The Long Brown Hair
5. On The Terrace
6. Miles Apart
7. Meant To Be
8. Carousel
9. On The Streets Tonight
10. Chinatown
11. Camden Road
12. Happy Everafter

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #69799 in Music
• Released on: 2003-08-11
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
As an album title, Here's Tom with the Weather may as well serve as an epithet for stubbly Arthur Lee admiring Liverpool guitar-pop combo Shack (otherwise known as bruised Scouse duo Mick and John Head), a band who've generally been too tardy or too unfortunate to figure much in the news headlines, but who--come rain or shine--remain a reassuringly reliable fixture on the fringes of classic British rock music; a situation owing, in no small part, to the timeless brilliance of their songwriting. While Shack's last album--1999's HMS Fable--arrived too late to extricate the public from the hollow vaingloriousness of Oasis, it was an indisputable joy, chock full of should-have-been hit singles and only denied the status of Britpop classic by dint of arriving too late to fight any turf wars.

Ever out of sync, Here's Tom... is a markedly different beast. While Nick Drake strings, Latin percussion and Love-styled Mexican brass interject, Here's Tom... is a record that exudes the haunted melancholia of Beatles for Sale via its mood of resignation and spinning folk guitars and which--as devoted followers will surely be at pains to point out--bears a marked similarity to the Head brother's other (and presumably ongoing) musical enterprise The Strands. Perversely bookended by two songs that cherish the immunity of four walls, marriage vows, a family pet and a steadily mundane lifestyle (the soggy morning newspapers of "As Long As I've Got You" and the nuptial icing sugar of "Happy Everafter") Head's songs are populated by itinerant street characters--dreamers, dropouts, schemers and villains--who hang around long enough for nothing very much to happen to their lives. Standout tracks include John Head's gorgeous "Carousel", "Camden Road" (like an Americana version of Squeeze after a night at the whisky) and "Meant to Be" (although the mood and chords bear an uncomfortable resemblance to the Stranglers' "Leave It to the Dogs"). If HMS Fable was a pop mind-blower, Here's Tom... is a grower: an album worthy of nurturing, which in time will repay with dividends. --Kevin Maidment

Customer Reviews

buy it
Their peak to date by a long way, this is close to the perfect album. The other reviews describe it well enough. I got to this via their earlier 'Waterpistol', via the La's which that album calls to mind, for me. This album, though, is in a different genre - mature, haunting, beautiful, acoustic-tinged and clever, I've played it more times than most in my collection, and it doesn't get tired. Saw them live at Whelan's in Dublin and chatted to a roadie who was at the bar for provisions. Amazingly, the more powerful onstage sound didn't clash with the majesty of the material, and they were clearly enjoying performing. Basically, if you like quality, mature music, hunt this one down. You won't regret it. Honest.

Good . . . but
The thing is Shack are starting to sound like they only know 5 types of song. The choice of single was a poor one, As Long As I've Got You should've been the single! All Shack fans should search out a copy of the Bad Anorak 404 album, Lin is a good friend of the band and if you imagine Shack with Tracy Thorn singing you're halfway there!

What a pleasant little album this is!
Rather ironic (for me anyway) that I found this album via Captain Soul's rather unfortunate album.

This is a quality album. Well crafted songs with some clever lyrics thrown in, built around really pleasant sounding tunes.

It all makes for a suprisingly good album. "Byrds Turn to Stone" and "On The Terrace" have a really summer, laid-back feel to them, while "Carousel" and "Miles Apart" are such excellent songs that they wouldn't sound out of place on a lot of more well-known artists's album.

None of the tracks let the album down and it all flows along nicely. I highly recommend this.